Report Contents
What OIG Inspected
OIG inspected the Office of Governance, Resource, and Performance Management in the Bureau of Information Resource Management.
OIG Recommended
OIG made 14 recommendations to improve operations in the Office of Governance, Resource, and Performance Management. The report addressed 11 recommendations to the Bureau of Information Resource Management, 2 recommendations to the Bureau of Administration, and 1 recommendation to the Bureau of Human Resources.
In its comments on the draft report, the Department concurred with all 14 recommendations. OIG considers the recommendations resolved. The Department’s response to each recommendation, and OIG’s reply, can be found in the Recommendations section of this report. The Department’s formal written responses are reprinted in their entirety in Appendix B.
What OIG Found
- The Office of Governance, Resource, and Performance Management’s unclear strategic vision, goals, and priorities impeded the office’s ability to meet its objectives.
- The office’s formal organizational structure, roles, and responsibilities did not align with its actual functions.
- A single employee oversaw 14 contracts worth more than $130 million per year in FY16 and FY17, which resulted in deficient oversight of contractor performance, vendor payments, and contract files.
- The Office of Governance, Resource, and Performance Management did not maintain a centralized inventory of the Department of State’s information technology software purchases—amounting to $230 million and $205 million in FY16 and FY17, respectively.
- Department policies did not consistently identify the Office of Governance, Resource, and Performance Management as responsible for managing the Department’s Information Technology Configuration Control Board.
- The office lacked authority to enforce requirements that bureaus and posts worldwide register dedicated internet networks.
- The six process management working groups lacked standard operating procedures for collaboration, documentation, and performance measures, which hindered their effectiveness
Report Terms
Report Recommendations
The Bureau of Human Resources, in coordination with the Bureau of Information Resource Management, should conduct an organizational assessment of the Office of Governance, Resource, and Performance Management, including a review of its organizational structure, roles, and responsibilities, and reallocate or reprogram resources as necessary.
The Bureau of Information Resource Management, in coordination with the Bureau of Human Resources, should update all employee-supervisor assignments to reflect current roles and responsibilities within the Office of Governance, Resource, and Performance Management.
The Bureau of Information Resource Management should require the Office of Governance, Resource, and Performance Management to review its internal control structure and develop corrective action plans or implement mitigation measures for any deficiencies.
The Bureau of Administration, in coordination with the Bureau of Information Resource Management, should review contracting activities in the Office of Governance, Resource, and Performance Management, and bring them into compliance with Department standards.
The Bureau of Administration, in coordination with the Bureau of Information Resources Management, should assign additional Contracting Officer’s Representatives and Government Technical Monitors to oversee the contracts managed in Office of Governance, Resource, and Performance Management and transfer relevant contract files to those individuals.
The Bureau of Information Resource Management should require that Contracting Officer’s Representatives in the Office of Governance, Resource, and Performance Management receive proof of receipt of goods from overseas posts prior to approving invoices for payments.
The Bureau of Information Resource Management should require the Office of Governance, Resource, and Performance Management to maintain Contracting Officer’s Representative files in compliance with Department standards.
The Bureau of Information Resource Management should implement a tool to centrally track information technology software acquisitions Department-wide.
The Bureau of Information Resource Management should implement procedures to centrally authorize and register Dedicated Internet Networks.
The Bureau of Information Resource Management should implement procedures to ensure regularly scheduled reviews and updates to the Department’s information technology management policies and procedures in Volume 5 of the Foreign Affairs Manual and its associated Foreign Affairs Handbooks.
The Bureau of Information Resource Management should revise and promulgate the bureau process for timely handling of responses to U.S. Government Accountability Office recommendations.
The Bureau of Information Resource Management should update all Department guidance to reflect the Office of Governance, Resource, and Performance Management’s responsibility for the Information Technology Configuration Control Board.
The Bureau of Information Resource Management should require the Office of Governance, Resource, and Performance Management to perform its bureau records coordinator responsibilities in accordance with Department standards.
The Bureau of Information Resource Management should implement standard operating procedures for process management working groups that include guidance on collaboration, documentation, and performance measures.